Lock seal



June 8' 1926. 1,587,651

P. B. JOHNSON LOCK SEAL Filed July 23, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gjwmmtoz June 8 ,1926. 7 1,587,651

P. B. JOHNSON LOCK SEAL Filed July .1925

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuentoz Pra a sigma. c bfina an Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITE PATENT ()FFICE.

PRESLEY B. JOHNSON, OF SAGRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

LOCK SEAL.

Application filed July 23, 1925. Serial No. 45,631.

This invention relates to seals for preventing the unauthorized opening of locks, and the general object of the invention is to provide a seal which will require that a hole he punched through the sealing member itself and an instrument inserted through said hole for the purpose of disengaging the-locking device from the hasp.

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which the sealing element is securely held from any unauthorized removal or tampering and in which the locking device cannot be tampered with without the destruction of the sealing device and the lock itself. I

A still further object is to provide means whereby the sealing element cannot be shifted so as to carry that portion intended to be punched out of alignment with the pin which releases the lock.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a face view of a padlock with my device appliedthereto;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sealing device;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the intermediate section; 1

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the bottom section;

Figure 5 is a sectional perspective view of the cover or top section; v

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the seal;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the hasp 10;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the sealing device closed.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a padlock to which I have shown my seal applied B designating the hasp thereof andC the guard which is pivoted upon the face of the padlock and is adapted to cover the keyhole a. I have illustrated my device as applied to a padlock, though I wish it understood that my sealing device may be applied to any lock having a keyhole cover.

Hinged to the end of the keyhole cover is the hasp 12 of the seal. This hasp 12 is formed at one end with a bight or loop 13 and the hasp is provided with a stop 14 which prevents the insertion of the hasp into the sealing device a greater extent than required. The opposite end of the hasp from the bight 11 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 15 and the hinge element 16 which connects the hasp to the cover 0 opv crates within this slot. I do not Wish to be limited to this construction, however.

The sealing device comprises a rectangular box or casing formed of a lower'section,

an upper section and a hinged section. The lower section '17 of the box consists of a base plate 18. Disposed upon this section 17 and attached to the plate 18 thereof is a spring latch member consisting of a tongue 19' which may be made of resilient material and the keeper 20, the outer face of which is beveled, the inner face being. perpendicular to the tongue 19. Preferably the bottom plate 18 isformed with a longitudinal extending groove and recess 21 within which this tongue 19 and the keeper 20 may be forced when the tongue 19'is forced down ward. hen the tongue 19 is notforcedv downward, this keeper 20 will be urged into engagement with the hasp 10, assuming that the hasp has been inserted through the aperture 1n the outer casing. This tongue 19 1s formed with an upwardly projecting pin 22 I corresponding in position to the pin 23 and' is immediately over this pin so that if an implement be inserted through the opening 28 it will strike the pin and depress the latch. The floor of the recess 27 is also. formed with twoupwardly projecting pins 29 and" the forward end wall of the section 24 is formed with an opening 30 corresponding to the opening 18 andthrough which the hasp may be inserted.

Hinged to the flange 26 in any suitable manner so that it cannot be readily detached is a cover 31 which is rectangular in form and has downwardly extending side walls 32 which will fit over the sidewalls 25 of the section 24-. The front end wall is formed with an aperture 33 registering with the apertures 30 and 1.8 and through which the hasp 10 may be inserted. This cover is provided in its top with an opening 34 upon terial which fits the recess 27 and is formed with two holes 28 through which the pins 29 may extend. The center of this seallng element 37 is provided with a dot, designated 39, which will come immediately over the hole 28 when the sealing element is in place within the recess 27. The cushions 36, it will be seen, are so disposed upon the cover 31 that when the cover is closed these cushions will extend over the openings 38.

The lower section 17 is held to the look by screws, rivets or any othersuitable means 40. The section v24: is held to the lower section 15 by means of screws passing through apertures 41 which may be disposed at the corners of the recess 27. The opening 33 in the the cover section 31 is preferably closed when the hasp 12 is withdrawn by means of a small hinged cover 12.

In the use of this device, the hasp 12 is inserted into the openings 30 and 33 of the several sections until the stop 14 comes against the face of the end wall of the section 31. In inserting the hasp, the bight 13 or loop will ride upon the inclined forward face of the keeper 20 and depress this keeper and as soon as it has passed the keeper the spring 21 or the spring tongue 19 will cause the keeper to lift and force the keeper into the .eye or loop 11 of the hasp, thus locking the hasp 10 with the slide 0 closed over the keyhole a, as illustrated. It will then be impossible to shift this cover away from the keyhole. Previous to this, of course, the sealing element 37 has been placed within the recess 27 and the cover 31 closed, Under these circumstances, the hasp locks the cover closed, the cover in turn locks the seali-ng element from removal, and the sealing element ,cann-ot shift or be removed because of this engagement by the two pins 29. By opening the door 35 it is possible o see that the sealing element is in place and properly positioned. \Vhen properly positioned the dot 3-9 is immediately above the pin 23. The lock is now sealedand when it is desired to open the lock the door .35 is opened and a punch inserted which punches through the sealing element at the dot 39., thus exposing the pin 23. Then an implement may be insertd through the punched hole and thr ugh the hole 28 in the bottom of the section 2 1 and the latch be depressed, thus releasing the hasp 12. The hasp 12 is then withdrawn and the padlock may be opened with the usual key.

7 It is necessary that the hasp 12 be slid-ably mounted upon the cover 0 for the reason that on locks on railway .cars the keyhole cover always covers the keyhole to prevent rain from entering the interior of the lock, and if this hasp were rigidly attached to the sliding cover C it would be forced into the opening and into engagement with the sealing device even when this was not desired, but by hinging the hasp the hasp may be allowed to hang from the cover C when the sealing device is not in use. The cushioning elements 36 are designed to hold the sealing element firmly in place and to cover over the openings through which the pins 29 pass. They also are used as an additional security to prevent the seal being moved, as they fit down tight on the seal, and if this was not done pressure might tear one end of the seal from the pin and then it could be smoothed out and slit and forced back in place again. The sealing element cannot be shifted out of the way or withdrawn without breaking the seal.

This device, it will be seen, is very simple and thoroughly elfective. It is particularly advantageous in view of the cheapness and the cost of buying seals such as are now used by railroad companies will be reduced to a considerable amount. By the use of this seal I further gain economy of time in sealing cars, as in using this sealing device the car sealer ought to be able to seal two freight cars in the time he now requires to seal one. Another advantage resides in the absolute security of the device, as it is impossible to break the seal without its being detected when the car sealer inspects the seal by lifting the cover 35. Under present methods the seal can be broken and replaced by experts and it requires .a. minute inspection to discover this break. This minute inspection is practically impossible and particularly at night. In my device the mere tampering of the dot 39 on my seal will instantly show to the sealer and it is absolutely necessary to tamper in some way with this dot or to obliterate it in order to open the look, as the sealing device must be broken at the dot in order to secure the opening of the lock.

Obviously the seal 37 might be made of frangible material so that any attempt to force an instrument through the seal in any art of the opening 34; would show by the fact that the seal had been cracked and broken. I do not wish to be limited to the use of the seal with a padlock as it might be used in connection with other locks and in a large number of other circumstances than as a seal for car doors, it only requiring that the part to be sealed shall have some locking element adapted to enter the opening 33 and be engaged by the latch tooth 20.

I claim 1. A seal of the character described comprising a casin having an opening at one end to receive a hasp, a latch mounted upon the bottom of the casing and resiliently urged fit upward and adapted to engage the hasp when inserted within the casing, the casing having a top and an opening through the top immediately above said latch whereby the latch may be depressed to disengage it from the hasp, a sealing element adapted to be disposed within the casing and over said opening, and a cover locked in closed position by the hasp and extending over the sealing element, said cover having a rela tively small opening by which access may be had to a relatively small portion of the sealing element immediately above the opening in the top of the casing.

2. A seal of the character described comprising a rectangular casing formed of a lower section, an upper section and a cover, the upper section being formed with an aperture in one end wall, a spring actuated latch disposed over the lower section inward of said aperture and adapted to engage a hasp inserted through said aperture, the upper section being formed with a depressed portion, the floor of which has an opening through which a tool may be inserted to operatively engage the latch and the latch shifted to an inoperative position, the first and second named sections being engaged with each other, and a lid hinged to the second named section and having in one end wall an aperture aligning with the aperture in the second named section, this lid being adapted to extend over the recess in the second named section and having a central opening smaller than said recess, and a sealing element adapted to be disposed in the recess and beneath the lid and having a mark disposed immediately over the aperture in the bottom of the recess, the aperture in the lid being adapted to disclose said mark, and a cover "for said aperture.

A sealing device of the character described comprising a casing formed of a lower section including a base plate, a tongue mounted upon the bottom of the base plate and having an upstanding latch. at one end, an upper section having upstanding Walls adapted to fit over the base section, the top of this second section being recessed to receive the sealing element, the bottom of said section having an aperture in its middle and being provided with two upwardly projecting pins, a cover hinged to the second named section and adapted to lit thereover and having an aperture registering with the aperture in the second named section and adapted to receive a hasp, the cover being formed with an opening, and a lid normally closing said opening, and a sealing member adapted to be disposed in said recess of the second named section and having apertures through which the pins of the second named section may lit, said sealing element having an indication upon its upper face in register with the aperture in the floor of the recess.

4c. The combination with a lock having a keyhole cover, of a hasp swingingly and slidingly engaged with the keyhole cover, the hasp having an eye at one end, a sealing do vice attached to the lock comprising a rec tangular casing having an aperture in one end through which the hasp may be inserted, a latch within the casing adapted to engage said hasp, a seal adapted to be dis posed over the latch to prevent its release from the hasp once the seal is punctured, and a cover hinged to the casing and adapted to extend over the sealing element and having an aperture through which the hasp passes, said cover having an opening through which access may be had to the sealing element.

5. The combination with a look having a cover for the keyhole thereof, the cover having a hasp, of a sealing device mounted upon the lock casing comprising a lower section having a latching device engageable with the hasp, an upper section attached to the lower section and formed with a recess to receive a sealing element, a cover hinged to the upper section and shiftable over the same and having an aperture through which the hasp may extend, the cover being to med with an opening through which access may be had to the sealing element, the floor of the recess receiving the sealing element having upwardly extending pins, a perforation immediately above the latch, and a sealing e1ement disposable in said recess and having apertures through which the pins may pass and having an indication mark immediately above the perforation in the bottom of the recess, said cover having cushions on its under face bearing against the sealing element and extending over the apertures for the pins. ,i 6. A seal of the character described comprising a casing having an opening at one end. the casing having a depressed top and having an opening at one end to receive the hasp, a spring latch disposed within the casing and resiliently urged toward the top of the casing and adapted to engage the hasp when inserted, the top of the casing having a relatively small opening through which the latch may be depressed to disengage it from the hasp, a sealing element adapted to be disposed within the depressed portion of said top and extend over said opening, and a cover locked in closed position by the hasp and extending over the sealing element, said cover having a relatively small opening immediately above that portion of the sealing element which is above the opening in the cover of the casing.

7. A seal of the character described comprising a casing having an opening at one end to receive a hasp and having a top, a latch disposed within the casing and adapted to engage the hasp when inserted, the latch including a leaf spring resiliently urging the cover huvine; a relatively small opening by which ace may be had to that portion of the sealing element innnediateiy above the 10 opening; in the top of the casing.

In testimon whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

PRESLEY B. JOHNSON. 

